Norman gloated when PGA Tour was investigated

"It's clear proof of their stupidity. Things wouldn't have come to this if they were willing to talk to us and work things out together. Do they make trouble for themselves or do we pull them in? They make trouble for themselves. Take it," Norman said in the Palm Beach Post on July 12.

A day ago, The Wall Street Journal (USA) reported that a working group of the Justice Department had just contacted insiders to collect documents to investigate unfair competition between the PGA Tour and Invitational Series. The prizes were developed by Norman through Liv Golf Investments-mostly funded by Saudi Arabia's public investment fund.

Yesterday, Norman continued to insist that the Invitational Series only wants to increase the competition opportunities of professional golf and coexist with PGA Tour and DP World Tour. "We don't do anything, just set up an award for players, and they can earn extra income besides participating in the PGA Tour. They have this right as independent workers."

The Invitational Series opens on June 9 in London, with two tournaments bringing together 24 PGA Tour members and 16 from the DP World Tour. All were disciplined for returning to the new arena, in which the PGA Tour team was expelled indefinitely, and golfers from the DP World Tour were fined and were not allowed to attend three tournaments this month.

After the PGA Tour took a hard hit, Norman sent a letter of reassurance to the Invitational Series players. He also mentioned the possibility that the federal government would investigate and punish the authoritarian behavior of the U.S. arena's governing body.

In 1994, the Federal Trade Commission, after four years of deliberations, concluded the PGA Tour violated antitrust laws, but did not recommend a remedy and let the case go. At the time, the U.S. first-class golf arena was led by special envoy Tim Finchem, a lawyer who worked for the Jimmy Carter administration.

Also in 1994, Norman, with a contemporary superstar, initiated the World Tour. But the project dies prematurely when it has the reputation of anti -PGA Tour.

In response to the legal problems 28 years ago, the PGA Tour spokesman issued a joint statement on Golf Channel, Golf Digest and Golf Network: "This is not unexpected, but we are confident that it will pass smoothly as in 1994".